Shenpen ÖselThe Clear Light of the Buddhas Teachings Which Benefits All Beings

Volume 2, Number 2 June 1998

You who have now obtained this body with its freedoms and favors, if you exertyourself one-pointedly in practicing the sublime dharma rather than lettingit go to waste, it will be a noble effort, good for both this and all future lives.

Therefore, may all of you keep this in mind.

His Holiness Orgyen Trinley Dorje, The Seventeenth Gyalwa Karmapa, in his firstmessage addressed to Western dharma practitioners in general and in particular

to those who follow the Kamtsang tradition:

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Shenpen ÖselThe Clear Light of the Buddhas Teachings Which Benefits All Beings

Contents

3 Introduction to Madhyamika Teachings

5 News of Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoches Upcoming Visit

6 Texts taught by Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso RinpocheNagarjunas Sixty Stanzas of Reasonings, Selected VersesGyalwa Götsangpas Eight Flashing LancesNagarjunas Seventy Stanzas on Emptiness, Selected VersesGyalwa Götsangpas Melody of the Eight Types of NondualityNagarjunas The Refutation of Criticism, Selected VersesGyalwa Götsangpas Seven Delights

14 Realizing the Profound Truth of Emptiness, Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche

26 The Logic That Refutes the Idea That Anything Is Truly Existent,Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche

38 Everything Is Just Appearance and Emptiness Inseparable,Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche

50 The Tantric Path and Mahamudra, Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche

59 Tibetan Texts (not online edition)Nagarjunas Sixty Stanzas of Reasonings, Selected VersesNagarjunas Seventy Stanzas on Emptiness, Selected Verses

Volume 2 Number 2

Editorial policyShenpen Ösel is a tri-annual publication ofKagyu Shenpen Ösel Chöling (KSOC), a centerfor the study and practice of Tibetan vajrayanaBuddhism located in Seattle, Washington. Themagazine seeks to present the teachings ofrecognized and fully qualified lamas andteachers, with an emphasis on the ShangpaKagyu and the Karma Kagyu lineages. Thecontents are derived in large part fromtranscripts of teachings hosted by our center.Shenpen Ösel is produced and mailedexclusively through volunteer labor and doesnot make a profit. (Your subscription andsupport are greatly appreciated.) We publishwith the aspiration to present the clear light ofthe Buddhas teachings. May it bring benefitand may all be auspicious. May all beings beinspired and assisted in uncovering their owntrue nature.

Staff

EditorLama Tashi Namgyal

Managing editorLinda Lewis

Copy editors, Transcribers,RecordersGlen Avantaggio, Peter Borodin, AlanCastle, Susan DeMattos, WolfgangHirsch, Donald Lashley, Yahm Paradox,Chris Payne, Rose Peeps, Mark Voss

PhotosRyszard K. Frackiewicz

Database managerDarren Beil

Mailing coordinatorMark Suver

Mailing crewMembers of the Seattle sangha

SHENPEN ÖSEL 3

Introduction

When we have what seems to us much more direct ways of meditat-ing, why should we study and meditate on an analytical systemof meditation such as madhyamika?In the practice of meditation, the actual technique that we employ is

never very difficult. Even in the very much more complicated meditativetechniques of the vajrayana, involving visualizations, mantras, mandalas,and mudras, the actual techniques are not difficult or particularly problem-atic; any intelligent seventh-grader could perform these practices as well, ifnot better, than an adult. The difficulties and problems are always simplyhow to relate properly to what arises in ones mind when one is employingany of these meditative techniques, how to relate to the incessant discursive-ness and oftentimes intense emotional and cognitive confusion in the mindthat ones meditation uncovers or stirs up.

In the practice of shamatha, we have the discipline of constantly return-ing to the breath or other objects of concentration, and of constantly labelingthought and emotional confusion in order to demystify it, in order to depriveit of the reality we impute to it.

In the practice of mahayana, we have the technique of exchanging selfand others, the practice of tonglen or taking and sending, and in thevajrayana, mahamudra, and dzogchen traditions we have further tech-niques for relating to mind and its confusion.

But for any of these techniques to work, there has to be the willingnessto let go of ones thoughts and emotions, the willingness not to get involvedin and perpetuate and make a big deal of whatever particular psycho-dramaor worry or anxiety or earth-transforming schemes our minds happen to befeaturing at any particular moment. One has to be willing constantly to letgo and return to the technique, and to do this it is necessary to see onesconfusion and ones hopes and fears for the illusions that they are. They aremere thinking; they are not real. The power over us that they exercisederives completely from the reality that we unthinkingly give to them.

The study and practice of madhyamika reasonings is a powerful way ofcoming to see and to accept that the psycho-dramas of our lives are not realafter all. If studied properly and meditated upon, madhyamika becomes atremendous aid to letting go of all our confusion and of allowing the mindnaturally to return to a state of peace and mental health, out of which allthe positive qualities of mind are free to manifest.

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With this kind of madhyamika understanding as a foundation, thepractice of vajrayana becomes an even more powerful means of uprootingand purifying the deeper anxieties and traumas of the mind, and of finallydispelling the self-clinging, dualistic fixation, fundamental ignorance, andmental darkness that underlies all of them.

For that reason, it is often said in the vajrayana that madhyamika is theground and mahamudra the path.

* * *

We would also like to draw the readers attention to a question asked ofthe translator, Ari Goldfield, as to what was meant by the word substantial,as in substantially existent or not substantially existent. Ari replied: . . . the term substantial, as in substantially existent, is a translation of theTibetan word rang bzhin, which means by its nature, or by its essence.When we say that something is substantially existent or naturally existent,essentially existent, what we mean is that it does not exist in dependence onanything else. It exists from its own side. It exists without depending onother causes and conditions.

We draw the readers attention to this because the term substantial is, inother contexts, used to translate phrases such as rdzas yod and dngos po/dngos yod, both of which imply some sort of material substantiality that isnot necessarily implied by the term rang bzhin.

The term rang bzhin is also sometimes translated as nature or self-nature, as indicated by Chökyi Nyima (Richard Barron): What Im usingnow for rang bzhin is simply nature, where it has a positive meaning (as inthe nature of mind), or self-nature, where the intention is one of negation(as in having no self-nature or cannot be established to have anyself-nature).

* * *

Because we have been intent on keeping to our deadline, we have notbeen able to include the Tibetan texts for The Refutation of Criticism, byNagarjuna and the three songs of Götsangpa. We will try to include them in asubsequent issue of Shenpen Ösel.

Lama Tashi Namgyal

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One of the foremost teachers of the Kagyu tradition of Tibetan Buddhism, The VeryVener- able Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche, will give a series of teachings on The MahamudraSongs of Naropa in Seattle June 9 through 15. Mahamudra is the main practice of the

Kagyu path to enlightenment. Naropas songs, which contain profound meditation pointing-outinstructions, are very important for practitioners of mahamudra and are applicable to all otherBuddhist paths as well.

While Rinpoche is in Seattle, he will also give three empowerments: Chenrezig, Vajrasattvafrom the tradition of Marpa the Translator, and Milarepa. Thrangu Rinpoche is in great demandthroughout the world because of the clarity, profundity, and vastness of his teachings, and thegentle humor of his presentation. It is a privilege to host his teachings in Seattle.

Cost of the entire series of teachings and the three empowerments is $150. For those who canattend only on the weekend, cost of the Friday, Saturday, and Sunday teachings and one empower-ment (Vajrasattva) is $80. For more information, call (206) 632-1439.

Heart Teachings of a TibetanBuddhist Master

The Very VenerableKhenchen Thrangu Rinpocheon The Mahamudra Songs ofthe Mahasiddha Naropa

June 9, 107:30-9:30 p.m.Mahamudra Songsof NaropaKagyu Shenpen ÖselChöling (KSOC)4322 Burke Avenue NSeattle

June 117:30-10 p.m.Chenrezig EmpowermentSakya Monastery108 NW 83rd StreetSeattle

June 127:30-10 p.m.Mahamudra SongsCatherine BlaineElementary SchoolAll-purpose Room2550 34th W

SeattleJune 1310 a.m.-noonand 2:30-5 p.m.Mahamudra SongsCatherine Blaine

June 1410 a.m.-12:30 p.m.Mahamudra SongsCatherine Blaine

June 143-5:30 p.m.Vajrasattva Empowerment ofMarpa the TranslatorCatherine Blaine

June 157:30-9:30 p.m.Milarepa EmpowermentKSOC

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Selected Verses From Nagarjunas

Sixty Stanzas of Reasonings

I prostrate to the Mighty OneWho has taught about dependent arising,The principle by whichArising and disintegration are abandoned. (Homage)

Those whose intelligence has gone beyond existence and nonexistenceAnd who do not abide [in any extremes]Have realized the meaning of dependent arising,The profound and unobservable [truth of emptiness]. (1)

Those who see with their intelligenceThat existence is like a mirage and an illusionAre not corrupted by believing inThe extremes of earlier and later. (17)

By understanding arising, disintegration is understood.By understanding disintegration, impermanence is understood.By understanding impermanenceThe truth of the genuine dharma is realized. (22)

Without a stable focus or location,Not remaining and without root,Arisen totally as a result of ignorance,Without beginning, middle, or end . . . (26)

Without core, like a banana tree.Like an unreal city in the sky,The suffering worldthe lands of confusionManifests in this waylike an illusion. (27)

To those students in search of suchnessAt first teachers should say, Everything exists.Then after they realize the meaning of this and abandon desire,They will gain perfect transcendence. (30)

Those who realize that all entities are dependently arisen,And just like a moon that appears in a pool of water,Are neither true nor false,Are not carried away by philosophical dogmas. (45)

Children are tricked by reflectionsBecause they take them to be real.In the very same way, because of their ignorance,Beings are imprisoned in the cages of their [conceptual] objects. (53)

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The great ones, who with the eyes of primordial awarenessSee that entities are just like reflections,Do not get caught in the mireOf so-called objects. (54)

The immature are attached to form.The moderate are free from attachment to [the sense objects],And those endowed with supreme intelligenceKnow the true nature of form and [by so knowing] are liberated. (55)

The awful ocean of existenceIs filled with the tormenting snakes of the afflictions.But those whose minds are not moved even by thoughts of voidnessHave safely crossed over [its dangers]. (59)

By the power of the virtue performed hereMay all beings perfect the accumulations of merit and wisdom,And from this merit and wisdom,May they attain the twin dimensions of genuine [enlightenment]. (60)

Under the guidance of Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche, adapted by Ari Goldfield from atranslation in Nagar juna: Studies in the Writings and Philosophy of Nagar juna , ChristianLindtner, Motilal Banarsidass Publishers, New Delhi, 1990, pp. 100-120. May 17, 1997.

Gyalwa Götsangpas

Eight Flashing Lances

Namo Ratna Guru!

Oh paragon of beings,You are the dharmakaya, treasure isle,The treasure too, sambhogakayas myriad forms,As nirmanakaya you fulfill the needs of wanderers,Oh precious Lord, I bow respectfully to you.

A decisive understanding of true reality,Without preference for either samsara or nirvana,Conviction reached, the mind wavers no more,These are three that render view unhindered,Like a lance that flashes free in the open sky.

Cutting through the root, it holds its own ground,The six consciousnesses are unspoiled by alteration,Free of the effort of trying to remember what to do,These are three that make meditation fully free,Like a lance flashing free in the open sky.

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Experiences are natural and unhindered,Fear, depression, and anxiety are nowhere to be found,Victory is gained over belief in duality,These are three that render conduct fully free,Like a lance that flashes free in the open sky.

Enlightenments five dimensions have been there all alongThey directly manifest through experience.Desire for buddhahood is exhausted,These are three that make fruition fully free,Like a lance flashing free in the open sky.

Transgressions and downfalls have been pure from the beginning,Experience is clarity and emptiness without stain,Self-importance has been dispensed with,These are three that make sacred commitments fully free,Like a lance that flashes free in the open sky.

Wanting for oneself is exhausted,Love without strife flows in waves,Undaunted, tireless, unselfish too,These are three that make compassion fully free,Like a lance flashing free in the open sky.

The muddiness of clinging is clarified,Causes and conditions shine clearly like reflections,The subtle art of what and what not to do is mastered,These are three that make interdependence fully free,Like a lance that flashes free in the open sky.

Prayers of aspiration set long ago now awaken,Whatever is done is of benefit to others,Performance is effortless and natural,These three make activity unhindered,Like a lance flashing free in the open sky.

In this well-known place called White GarudaThis small melody tells of eight lances flashing freely.Borne on the waves of the excellent gurus blessings,It appeared in the mind and now has been put to song.

Under the guidance of Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche, translated in two separateversion by Tony Duff and Jim Scott. These were combined and edited by Ari Goldfield,June 17, 1997.

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Selected Verses From Nagarjunas

Seventy Stanzas on Emptiness

Entities do not existIn their causes, in their conditions,In aggregations of many things, or in individual things.Therefore, all entities are empty. (3)

Because it already exists, that which exists does not arise.Because it does not exist, that which does not exist does not arise.Because they contradict each other, existence and nonexistence do not

[arise] togetherSince there is no arising, there is no remaining or cessation either. (4)

Without one there are not many, andWithout many there is not one.Therefore, dependently arisen entities [like these]Have no characteristics. (7)

[In the true nature] there is neither permanence nor impermanence,Neither self nor nonself, neither clean nor uncleanAnd neither happiness nor suffering.Therefore, the [four] mistaken views do not exist. (9)

Without a father there is no son, and without a son there is no father.These two do not exist without depending on each other.Neither do they exist simultaneously.The twelve links are exactly the same. (13)

Composite and uncomposite [phenomena]Are not many, are not one,Are not existent, are not nonexistent, [and] are not both existent and nonexistent.These words apply to all phenomena [without exception]. (32)

[Defiled] actions have afflictions as their cause,And the afflictions themselves arise due to [defiled] actions.The body [also] has [defiled] actions as its cause,So all three are empty of essence. (37)

All formations are like unreal cities in the sky,Illusions, mirages, falling hairs,Foam, bubbles, phantoms,Dreams and wheels of fireThey have absolutely no core or substance to them. (66)

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The unequaled Thus Gone OneExplicitly taught thatSince all entities are empty of any inherent nature,All phenomena are dependently arisen. (68)

When one understands that this arose from those conditions,The net of wrong views is lifted.One abandons desire, ignorance and aversion,And attains the undefiled state of nirvana. (73)

Under the guidance of Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche, adapted by Ari Goldfield from atranslation in Nagar juna: Studies in the Writings and Philosophy of Nagar juna , ChristianLindtner, Motilal Banarsidass Publishers, New Delhi, 1990, pp. 31-69. May 17, 1997.

Gyalwa Götsangpas

Melody of the Eight Types of Nonduality

Namo Guru!

The precious Lord embodies enlightenments five dimensions.I prostrate to and praise this Precious OneWho dispels the darkness of wanderers sufferingWith nondual, great, everlasting bliss.

Wonderful visions of yidam deities andFearsome apparitions of obstructing demons areNot separable within the pure expanseSo! How joyful! How happy! Sudden Victory!

Obtaining high rebirth or liberation andFalling into the three unhappy destinations areNot separable within the pure expanseSo! How joyful! How happy! Sudden Victory!

The mind busy with perceived and perceiver andThe peaceful state of nonconceptuality areNot separable within the pure expanseSo! How joyful! How happy! Sudden Victory!

Complete happiness and comfort andOverwhelming pain and suffering areNot separable within the pure expanseSo! How joyful! How happy! Sudden Victory!

Being well-respected and worshipfully served andBeing derisively laughed at and beaten areNot separable within the pure expanseSo! How joyful! How happy! Sudden Victory!

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Wandering alone in mountain retreats andTraveling the countries of the world areNot separable within the pure expanseSo! How joyful! How happy! Sudden Victory!

Having the finest food and drink andLiving in hunger without nourishment areNot separable within the pure expanseSo! How joyful! How happy! Sudden Victory!

Not crashing the ground with your skull andTaking birth again and again areNot separable within the pure expanseSo! How joyful! How happy! Sudden Victory!

This is the melody of the eight types of nonduality;I have but a mere understanding of what true union is;Not falling into confusion is very important.

Under the guidance of Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamptso Rinpoche, translated by Tony Duff in January1996, and edited by Ari Goldfield, June 18, 1997.

Selected Verses From Nagarjunas

The Refutation of Criticism

Dependently arisen entitiesAre called emptiness,[For] that which is dependently arisenIs that which has no inherent nature. (22)

One magical creation halts another,One illusory being puts an end toThe wrong views of his illusory opponent.When I refute the arguments of others, that is exactly what is happening. (23)

Another example: suppose a man falls in love with an illusory woman,Then another illusion comes alongAnd shows the man what a fool he has beenThats my work. (27)

If I took a position,Then I would have a flaw.Since I take no position,I have no flaw at all. (29)

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If the son is produced by the father,But the father is also produced by that very son,Then will you please tell me,Which one is the true cause and which the true result? (49)

If emptiness is possible,Then all objects are possible, all levels attainable.If emptiness is impossible,Then everything else is [impossible] as well. (70)

I prostrate to the Awakened One, the Buddha,Who taught that dependent arising and emptiness have the same meaning,And that this is the middle way path.Your words are supreme, their meaning unsurpassed. (Concluding homage)

Under the guidance of Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche, translated by Ari Goldfield,May 21, 1997.

Gyalwa Götsangpas

Seven Delights

Namo Ratna Guru!

When thoughts that there is something, perceived and a perceiver,Lure my mind away and distract,I dont close my senses gateways to meditate without themBut plunge straight into their essential point.Theyre like clouds in the sky; theres this shimmer where they fly.Thoughts that rise, for me sheer delight!

When kleshas get me going, and their heat has got me burning,I try no antidote to set them right.Like an alchemistic potion turning metal into gold,What lies in kleshas power to bestowIs bliss without contagion, completely undefiled.Kleshas coming up, sheer delight!

When Im plagued by god-like forces or demonic interference,I do not drive them out with rites and spells.The thing to chase away is egoistic thinking,Built up on the idea of a self.This will turn the ranks of maras into your own special forces.When obstacles arise, sheer delight!

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When samsara with its anguish has me writhing in its torments,Instead of wallowing in misery,I take the greater burden down the greater path to travelAnd let compassion set me upTo take upon myself the sufferings of others.When karmic consequences bloom, delight!

When my body has succumbed to the attacks of painful illness,I do not count on medical relief,But take that very illness as a path and by its powerRemove the obscurations blocking me,And use it to encourage the qualities worthwhile.When illness rears its head, sheer delight!

When its time to leave this body, this illusionary tangle,Dont cause yourself anxiety and grief.The thing that you should train in and clear up for yourself isTheres no such thing as dying to be done.Its just clear light, the mother, and child clear light uniting,When mind forsakes the body, sheer delight!

When the whole things just not working, everythings lined up against you,Dont try to find some way to change it all.Here the point to make in your practice is reverse the way you see it.Dont try to make it stop or to improve.Adverse conditions happen; when they do its so delightful.They make a little song of sheer delight!

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In June of 1997 in Seattle, Washington, The Very Venerable Khenpo Tsultrim GyamtsoRinpoche gave a series of eleven teachings on realizing emptiness, based on the commen-taries of Nagarjuna and the songs of Gyalwa Götsangpa and Jetsun Milarepa. Thefollowing is an edited transcript of that teaching from the first evening, June 17.Rinpoches translator was Ari Goldfield.

By The Very Venerable Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche

Before we listen to these teachings, Rinpoche asks that we all give rise to theprecious attitude of bodhicitta, the awakening mind, which means that notonly for our own benefit, but rather for the benefit of all sentient beings, whoare limitless in number as space is vast in extent, we aspire to attain the preciousstate of buddhahood, which abides neither in the cycle of existence (samsara), nor insome one-sided cessation of suffering or some kind of individual peace (nirvana).

In order to attain the precious rank of buddhahood for the benefit of all sentientbeings, we must generate in our hearts great enthusiasm. We must generate theattitude that we will listen to, reflect upon, and meditate upon the teachings of thegenuine dharma with all of the diligence and enthusiasm that we can muster.

At this time, when we have attained this precious human body, endowed with thewonderful qualities of faith, diligence, and intelligence, it is very important for us touse our time well. And the way to do that is to listen to, reflect upon, and then medi-tate on the genuine dharma.

When we are studying and reflecting on the meaning of the dharma, what are veryimportant are the explanations of how the cycle of existence and nirvanathe tran-

The Very Venerable Khenpo Tsultrim Gyamtso Rinpoche

Realizing the ProfoundTruth of Emptiness

SHENPEN ÖSEL 15

scendence of that cycle of existenceappear, andhow they really arewhat is their true nature.

Along those lines, tonight Rinpoche will ex-plain, from all of the vast array of topics of thegenuine dharma, some verses from a text by thenoble bodhisattva and protector Nagarjuna, calledthe Sixty Stanzas of Reasoning. [See Page 6 forcomplete text.]

In the first verse, Nagarjuna prostrates to theBuddha, because the Buddha is the one whotaught the truth of dependent arising. Because theBuddha taught that, Nagarjuna prostrates to him.This verse reads:

I prostrate to the Mighty One

Who has taught about dependent arising,

The principle by which

Arising and disintegration are abandoned. (Homage)

If we can understand what dependent arisingmeans, if we can understand the truth of depen-dent arising and how it is that all phenomena aredependently arisen, then we can abandon ourattachment to arising and disintegration. Andsince that is true, then Nagarjuna prostrates tothe Buddha, because the Buddha is the one whotaught this most important truth. The Buddha isthe one who taught us this method by which wecan give up this type of attachment.

The next verse, which is the first verse afterthe homage reads:

Those whose intelligence has gone beyondexistence and nonexistence

And who do not abide [in any extremes]

Have realized the meaning of dependent arising,

The profound and unobservable [truth ofemptiness]. ( 1)

Those whose intelligence has gone beyondexistence and nonexistence refers to those whodesire liberation, who desire to be liberated withtheir intelligence. Have gone beyond existence andnonexistence means that they are no longer at-tached to the idea that phenomena truly exist,that there is some substantial existence to things;nor do they believe that nothing exists, that

reality is a complete nothingness or an absence ofanything whatsoever. They have gone beyond bothof these different extremes of view, because theyhave realized the meaning of dependent arising. Ifone realizes this meaning, then one will no longerbe attached to either of these extremes.

Moreover, at the same time that one realizesthe truth of dependent arising, one will realize thetruth of emptiness, which is at the same time veryprofound and yet unobservable. Meaning that itcant be fixed or located by saying this is it orthis is emptiness or that is emptiness. It isbeyond all our ideas about what it might be. Theprofound truth of emptiness is not something wecan describe or pinpoint with some type of idea ordescription. Realizing that truth is what is meantby realizing the truth of emptiness.

If we still believe in existence, if we have sometype of belief in something substantial, if we thinkthat there is something that truly exists, what-ever it might be, then we are said to fall into theextreme called eternalism or permanence. And ifwe fall into that extreme, we will not realize thetrue nature of reality.

On the other hand, if we propound a viewsaying nothing exists, theres absolutely nothing,that the truth is some kind of nothingness orvacuum, then that too is an extreme. Thats calledthe extreme of nihilism. And if we fall into thatextreme, we will also not realize the truth ofemptiness. The reason for that is that the truth ofemptiness, or what is actual reality, is somethingwhich is beyond any and all of our descriptions ofit or conceptions about it. So whatever our concep-tions are, they would necessarily fall into one ofthese two extremes. And so, by definition, one willnot realize the true nature.

For example, lets take the appearance of aflower in a dream. This flower is not somethingthat exists, that truly exists, because its just adream appearancetheres no real flower therewhatsoever. On the other hand, you cant saytheres absolutely nothing, because there is themere appearance of a flowerbut just a mereappearance, thats it. That is its nature in terms ofhow it exists in the world of appearances. Theresnothing really there but there is this mere appear-

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True reality isbeyond all ofour conceptsabout it; it isinconceivable

ance. In a dream theres nothing substantial butthere is the mere appearance of something sub-stantial. Thus, its true nature transcends bothexistence and nonexistence. Its true nature is notsomething we can describe with these kinds ofterms, because it is beyond any type of thing wemight be able to think up about it. And so, justlike a flower that appears in a dream, all phenom-ena that appear, wherever theyappear, are the same. They allappear in terms of being a mereappearance. There is nothingsubstantial to them, and theirtrue nature transcends bothexistence and non-existenceandany other idea.

All phenomena that appear tous in this life are exactly thesame. None of them truly exists, nor do they haveany substance; but neither are they completelynonexistent, because there is the mere appearanceof them. In terms of true reality, true reality issomething which cannot be described by termssuch as exist or not exist or by any otherterms. True reality is beyond all of our conceptsabout it; it is inconceivable.

As examples of what this inseparability ofappearance and emptiness, that characterizes allphenomena, is like, the next verse reads:

Those who see with their intelligence

That existence is like a mirage and an illusion

Are not corrupted by believing in

The extremes of earlier and later. (17)

Existence here refers to samsara, cyclic exist-ence that ignorant beings go around and aroundin, again and again. Yet, even though beings arecontinually going around and around in samsara,everything in it is merely inseparable appearanceand emptiness. It appears but it has no substan-tial nature. In that way, it is like a mirage or anillusion. When a magician creates an illusion ofsomething, or when you see a mirage in the desertthat looks like water, these are things that appearto exist, but in reality have no substantial exist-ence at all. That is the characteristic of all appear-

ances in cyclic existence.Those who see with their eye of intelligence

that that is how all these appearances truly are,are not corrupted by believing in the extremes ofearlier and later. Earlier and later refers to howyou view past and future lives. Here, you could fallinto the extreme of thinking that past and futurelives were things that truly existed, that were

somehow real and had somesubstance to them. That would befalling into the extreme of perma-nence. On the other hand, youcould fall into the extreme ofthinking that past and future livesabsolutely didnt exist, that therewas nothing whatsoever. Thatwould be falling into the extremeof nihilism. However, by realizing

that appearances appear and yet are empty of anytrue existence, you avoid falling into these ex-tremes.

In the next verse we are introduced to agradual way of beginning to understand empti-ness. It says:

By understanding arising, disintegration isunderstood.

By understanding disintegration, impermanenceis understood.

By understanding impermanence

The truth of the genuine dharma is realized. (22)

The first thing that we need to understand,that we can notice and think about, is arising, orbirthhow it is that phenomena or things incyclic existence come into being. For example, thisflower. This flower was not just created by onecause or one thing or one condition, but rather itcame into being because of the coming together ofa great many different causes and conditions. Andjust like this flower, so are all phenomena in cyclicexistence. They dont rely on one cause or condi-tion; they are dependent for their existence on acoming together of a group of causes and condi-tions. If we can understand that, which is thetruth of arising, then what follows is cessation.Everything that is born has to die. Theres nothing

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Theres no wayto make cyclicexistence intosomethingstable, intosomething thatwill not change,into somethingdependable

that ever is born or comes into being that does notcease to be. We know this just by our own observa-tion and by our own experience.

Now we understand birth and death. And if weunderstand birth and death, then we also neces-sarily understand that phenomena are imperma-nent. Because impermanent means that thingsdont stay the same forever. That which is bornand that which dies go through changes. So allphenomena are impermanent.

There are two different types of imperma-nence. One type is called gross impermanence,and that is the impermanence that you can seewith your eyes or experience with your othersenses. When a house is destroyed by an earth-quake, you can actually see this type of imperma-nence happen right before your eyes.

The second type is called subtle imperma-nence. Subtle impermanence describes the factthat all phenomena are changing moment bymoment. From moment to moment, no phenom-ena stay the same. Causes and conditions arecontinually acting on all phenomena in cyclicexistence, and so none of them ever stays thesame from one moment to the next. For example[Rinpoche snaps his fingers], evenwithin one finger snap there arehow many different parts? Howmany different instants are there?Hundreds and thousands andmillionsyou can keep dividingand find smaller and smallerinstants, and no two instants arethe same. So even such a tiny,minute phenomenon is constantlychanging, and never stays thesame. Realizing that is realizingemptiness, which is to realize thatno phenomenon has any substan-tial, permanent nature.

The next verse reads:

Without a stable focus or location,

Not remaining and without root,

Arisen totally as a result of ignorance,

Without beginning, middle, or end . . . (26)

What is being described here is cyclic exist-ence, and cyclic existence has no fixed location. Itdoesnt have a location that is in any way trulyexistent. How can we know this to be true? We alllive on this planet Earth, and we might think thatwe can find some location here. But this Earth isjust suspended in space. And space is without anydirection or location to it. So, if this Earth is justfloating around in space without direction orlocation, how can we then say that we have anydirection or fixed location? It doesnt make anysense. That is something we can think about andunderstand pretty easily.

If we think about direction and location just onthis Earth, another reason why we can say thatthere is no location or direction is that everybodyon this Earth thinks that they are right side up.[Laughter] Everybody thinks that they are rightside up; nobody thinks that they are upside down.But you cant really have right side up withoutupside down. These two depend on each other.So really, there is no right side up or upside downon this earth. If we analyze carefully, we can seethat this is true.

Without a stable focus: No matter how hard wetry to make cyclic existence intosomething that truly exists, wecant do it. Theres no way tomake cyclic existence into some-thing stable, into something thatwill not change, into somethingdependable. By nature, its noneof those things. It is constantlychanging and has no substanceto it. And so all of our attemptsto solidify it in any way arecompletely in vain. No matterwhat phenomena you try to useor try to analyze to make it intosomething stable and fixed, youjust cant do it.

The next line says that it is without root,which means that there is nothing groundingcyclic existence. To give an example that can beanalyzed, take this Earth. We think that Earth ismade up of atoms of substantial matter. That isthe ground. That is what we are rooted to, that is

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What is the realroot of cyclicexistence? It isignorance, and itis clinging to abelief in a self

our foundation. When we analyze these atoms,however, we really cant find anything, because, asyou examine more finely, you find smaller andsmaller particles. And every newparticle, no matter how small, isjust a collection or mass ofsmaller particles. And so, if youtry to find the smallest trulyexistent particle, you cant find it.In this way it is demonstratedthat there really is nothing sub-stantial there. There really is nosuch thing as matter. There reallyis no such thing as some kind ofsolid foundation. It doesnt exist.

So what is the real root of cyclic existence? It isignorance, and it is clinging to a belief in aselfin a truly existent self of the individual, andin some substantial existence to phenomena. Butthese two also have no true existence; if we ana-lyze them, they are not substantial, truly existentthings. And since we can see that the cycle ofexistence springs from the erroneous belief in atruly existent self and truly existent phenomena,then it follows that cyclic existence is also not asubstantially existent thing. So cyclic existencehas no root.

Then the next verse says not remaining; thesephenomena dont remain. They are just likephenomena that appear in a dream. Whateverappears in a dream never really comes into being,even though it looks as if it does. And it neverreally goes out of existence, even though it looksas if it does. So how could there be anything toremain or have duration? Nothing ever reallyarises, nothing ever really goes away, and nothingever really remains in cyclic existence. All appear-ances are exactly the same in that way.

These appearances in a dream, if they werereally to abide or remain, would first have to comeinto existence. But since they never really comeinto existence, they can never remain, and theycan never go away. Thats how we should thinkabout this.

Then the third line says that the real cause ofcyclic existence is ignorance. Cyclic existence

arises totally as a result of ignorance. So whatdoes that mean? How does that work? First we areignorant of the true nature of phenomena; we

think that they really exist. As aresult, we develop the otherafflictions or kleshas. We getattached to the phenomena thatwe like and want them; and thereare other phenomena that wedont like, so we try to push themaway. In this way we developattachment and aversion, as aresult of which we take all differ-ent kinds of actions. These kindsof actions are said to be defiled

actions because, when we act out of attachmentand aversion, our actions are governed and moti-vated by our ignorance. These kinds of actionsproduce suffering as their result, and so we just goaround and around in the cycle of existence.

Since the cause of cyclic existence is ignorance,we might think that it had some fixed point ofbeginning and some point where it might end. Butreally, its not that way; its just like a dream, inthat things in a dream really have no beginning,middle, or end.

The next verse reads:

Without core, like a banana tree.

Like an unreal city in the sky,

The suffering worldthe lands of confusion

Manifests in this waylike an illusion. (27)

This verse starts out by saying that cyclicexistence is without core, like a banana tree.When you peel a banana tree, you peel it and peelit and it has more and more peels to it. You look atthis thing and it looks like something really solidand truly existent, but if you take off all thelayers, theres no core. Thats it, theres nothingleft. In India the example of a banana tree wasused to show that cyclic existence is without anycore. It has no essence.

Then the cycle of existence is compared to anunreal city in the sky. This is a reference to thecity of the gandharvas. The literal translation oftheir name is smell eaters, which they are called

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We sufferbecause wetake things to betruly existent

because [Rinpoche laughs] they are formlessbeings who subsist by eating odors. The Buddhatalked about them, otherwise we wouldnt knowtoo much about them, because most people cantsee them [more laughter]. But some people can seethem, and what they see is a big city where allthese smell eaters live. They live just as we do andthey do all different kinds of things. But even ifyou could ever see this place, if you could be there,you wouldnt be able to use anything there, be-cause its just like a phantom place. You could seemany different things, but you couldnt make useof anything, or take part in anything, or talk toanybody, because gandharvas are just like phan-toms. This is another example illustrating thetrue nature of cyclic existence.

The verse goes on to say that this is the suffer-ing world. These are the lands of confusion, andthe beings in this world suffer. Why? We sufferbecause we take things to be truly existent be-cause we are confused about the nature of theseappearances. We think these appearances aresomething real. But they are really not. Therefore,we suffer. And yet, all of this suffering in cyclicexistence, what is it like? Its just an illusion. Thesuffering in cyclic existence appears, and all thebeings in this world appear, simply because of thecoming together of causes andconditions, which produce theirappearance. And yet all the beingsin this world and everything incyclic existence is merely insepar-able appearance and emptiness. Itis appearance that has no substan-tial nature.

None of us seems to have hadany experience with this city of the smell eaters,though it is said that, in past lives, we too weresmell eaters. But we dont really remember that[Rinpoche laughs], so it doesnt do us too muchgood to think about it. But what we can relate to,in terms of our own experience, are examples likedreams and dream cities. In dreams we can expe-rience appearances of very large and busy cities.There is not one thing that exists really in thosecities; they are mere appearance. We can go to amovie and in the movie see a very big city with all

types of things happening in it. But again thatsjust a mere appearance. Theres nothing real to it.

The next verse suggests a stage-by-stageapproach to gaining an understanding of empti-ness, or true nature:

To those students in search of suchness

At first teachers should say, Everything exists.

Then after they realize the meaning of this andabandon desire,

They will gain perfect transcendence. (30)

How should beginning students of thedharmastudents in search of suchness, whowant to realize the true naturebe introduced tothings? First, teachers should say that thingsexist. They should explain things in terms ofexistence, which means that they should talkabout past lives and future lives as being existent.And why? Because they are an integral aspect ofthe principle of cause and effect, of the law ofkarma which is that good actions lead to happi-ness, and bad or harmful actions, negative actionstowards other sentient beings, lead to suffering.This is an important principle, and we should betaught that it is true and potent, so that we willhave faith in it and live by it.

We should also be taughtthat the three jewels reallyexist, that there is the Buddha,the Buddhas teachings calledthe dharma, and the commu-nity of dharma practitionerscalled the sangha. The threejewels can provide us with agenuine refuge from cyclic

existence and can lead us out of it. We should alsobe taught to be wary of cyclic existence, to feeldisgust for it, because it is of the nature of suffer-ingespecially the lower realms like the hellrealms, where beings go who commit the mostnegative actions. We should be taught about allthese things at first as being things which arereal. As a result, we will, if we understand themeaning of this, abandon desire. If we understandthe meaning of all of this, we will no longer seekhappiness from cyclic existence. We will no longer

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Beings who . . .understanddependentarising willunderstand thatall phenomenaare just like amoon thatappears in a poolof water

*Editors note: To be truly existent something must beunitary, i.e. indivisible, unchanging, and independent ofcauses and conditions for its existence. Any particle ofsubstantial matter, regardless of how small it is, can theo-retically be made to touch another particle of matter. Whenthese two particles touch each other, the right side of onetouches the left side of the other. Therefore, each of them hasboth a left and a right side and, consequently, each can bedivided in half. In fact, they are infinitely divisible. By thislogic it is demonstrated that matter cannot, in fact, existsubstantially as we know it.

seek happiness by trying to fulfillthe needs of this I, by trying tomake this I happy. And so wewill no longer be caught inthinking that somewhere outthere there can be somethingthat can bring happiness. Wewont have any more desire foranything in the cycle of exist-ence, and what that will lead tois an understanding of empti-ness, which is here described asperfect transcendence.

The next verse reads:

Those who realize that allentities are dependently arisen,

And just like a moon that appears in a poolof water,

Are neither true nor false,

Are not carried away by philosophical dogmas.(45)

Beings who with their intelligence understanddependent arising will understand that all phe-nomena are just like a moon that appears in apool of water. That moon is something that isneither truly substantially existent, nor is itsomething completely nonexistent. There is anappearance of it, and that is also the nature of allphenomena. By realizing this, one will not becarried away by beliefs in extreme views or ex-treme types of philosophical dogmas.

This verse teaches that the true nature ofeverything in cyclic existence and of cyclic exist-ence itself transcends both being true and beingfalse. They are neither true nor false, just like themoon that appears in a pool of water. When youlook at the moon that appears in a pool of water,theres absolutely no way to tell that its not a realmoon. If theres a moon and its a clear night, andthe water is not moving, and you look down andyou see the moon there, what is to say that it isnot the moon? There is a mere appearance of amoon, and yet theres absolutely nothing substan-tial to it. Once you put your hand in the water,then you realize that the moon you have been

seeing is absolutely insubstantial.Thats the way it really is with allphenomena. If you analyze care-fully, even the tiniest particle canbe shown not to exist, because eventhe tiniest particle has parts thatits made of.* There really is nosuch thing as a truly existent pieceof matter. And by the extension ofthat analysis we learn that allphenomena that we see, all appear-ances, are of this nature. Theyhave no true existence.

They have no substance, andyet they can not be said to be

nonexistent either. You cannot say that everythingis nothing or everything is fake. Because if yousay that everything is fake or false, then thatturns falsity into something truly existent. Thatreifies falsity into something substantial.

Furthermore, if there is really nothing true,then there cant be anything really false. Therecan be no falsity, because the concept of falsity isdependent on the concept of truth. First you haveto have truth in order to be able to have falsity,because false means not true. So if there is notrue, then you cannot have not true. These arejust ideas that are dependently existent on eachother. Knowing this helps us to understand how itis that the true nature of cyclic existence tran-scends all these different kinds of ideas.

We live on this planet. On this planet theresno up and down. This planet is suspended in spacewhich has neither center nor edge, neither amiddle point nor boundaries. And our existencetranscends ideas of true and false. This Earth isneither true nor false, but like the moon thatappears in a pool of water, and the many different

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sentient beings going about their business on itare also neither true nor false. We are all justmere appearances, just like the moon that appearsin a pool of water.

So how is it that we take things to be real? Thenext verse reads:

Children are tricked by reflections

Because they take them to be real.

In the very same way, because of theirignorance,

Beings are imprisoned in the cages of their[conceptual] objects. (53)

Children can be tricked by a reflection in amirror or by a magic trick, or by something in amovie, and they think that all of those things arereal and actually have some real ability to dothings. Everybody else knows that there is noth-ing real there. But we who are still ignorant are inthe exact same situation. Because of ignorance, weare imprisoned in a cage made up of all of theobjects which we conceptualize to be real. So weare imprisoned by that. And we are blocked fromrealizing our true potential because we take all ofthese things to be real, because we conceptualizethese things to be real when really they are not,when really they are just like reflections or magictricks that can fool children.

The next verse reads:

The great ones, who with the eyes of primordialawareness

See that entities are just like reflections,

Do not get caught in the mire

Of so-called objects. (54)

The great and noble bodhisattvas, who haverealized the truth of emptiness, who, with the eyesof primordial awareness, see that entities are justlike reflections, do not get caught in the mire of so-called objects. Great ones refers to noblebodhisattvas. With the eyes of primordial aware-ness means awareness that has really beenpresent from the beginning, which is inherent inthe true nature of mind. You could also say, withthe eyes of their wisdom. They see that all of the

entities within the cycle of existence are just likereflections in a pool of water, or just like reflec-tions in a mirror, that they are mere appearanceswithout any substantial existence. They see thatentities dont truly exist, and, because of that,they dont get caught in the mud and mire aseverybody else does, which is the mire of takingall of this to be true. Taking everything to be trueis like a trap, of which they are free.

There is a story about the great bodhisattva-yogini of Tibet, Machig Lapdrön. MachigLapdrön had the incredible ability to read thesutras at a very, very fast rate. Once, during anentire month, she read all twelve volumes of theone hundred thousand line version of the Sutra ofTranscendent Perfection of Wisdom every day.Every day she read all twelve volumes. In thosesutras it talks about how form has no coloritsneither yellow nor red nor white nor blue. Nordoes it have any shapeits not round or rectan-gular. Nor is it hard or soft. None of these charac-teristics, or any other characteristics, truly exists.

By reading that sutra every day, at the end ofa month Machig Lapdrön had directly realizedemptiness. As a result of that she was able to seethat all phenomena are just mere appearances,are just like reflections, and so she did not getcaught in the mire of clinging to objects as beingtrue.

Machig Lapdrön was quite special. Mostsiddhas, most great spiritual masters of Tibet andIndia, attained realization through the practice ofvajrayana, through the practice of tantra. MachigLapdrön, on the other hand, attained realizationthrough studying, contemplating, and meditatingon the teachings of the second turning of thewheel of dharma, the Prajnaparamita sutras, thesutras of The Transcendent Perfection of Wisdom.When she passed into nirvana, they built a fu-neral pyre for her. When it was burning, her son,who was also a great master, named GyalwaDöndrup, sang praises to her at each door of hercremation shrine. In one of these praises he sang,Mother, you are the great Prajnaparamitasiddha. You are the great master of The Transcen-dent Perfection of Wisdom.

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It is important for us to realize how profoundand how important this view being taught here intexts like Nagarjunas Sixty Stanzas of Reasoningis, because, if you know this view well, if youunderstand emptiness through this view, then youalso can attain the great powers of realization.

The next verse reads:

The immature are attached to form.

The moderate are free from attachment to[the sense objects],

And those endowed with supreme intelligence

Know the true nature of form and [by soknowing] are liberated. (55)

The immature here refers to those who are notbodhisattvas, who are still in cyclic existence. Andthe reason that they are still in cyclic existence isthat they are still attached to form as being some-thing real. As a consequence, they still have desirefor certain kinds of forms and aversion for otherkinds of forms, and this keeps them going aroundin the cycle of existence.

The moderate are free from attachment to senseobjects; this refers to beings in the formless godsrealms of the cycle of existence, who have dis-pensed with the kind of attachment and clingingto objects of form that we have but are still at-tached to a sort of blank meditation state. Eventhough they are free of attachment to sense ob-jects, they are not completely free from the cycle ofexistence. Who is free from the cycle of existence?Those endowed with the supreme intelligence thatknows the true nature of form, who know form tobe empty, who know form to be nothing more thaninseparable appearance and emptiness. By know-ing that, they are liberated.

The next verse reads:

The awful ocean of existence

Is filled with the tormenting snakes of theaff lictions.

But those whose minds are not moved even bythoughts of voidness

Have safely crossed over [its dangers]. (59)

What is the method by which we can attain

the transcendence of suffering, by which we canattain nirvana? It is by our minds not beingmoved even by thoughts of voidness. What thismeans is that, even though thinking that every-thing is empty is quite a subtle thought, still, if weare attached to that thought, then we are reifyingemptiness into something real. We are attached toemptiness as being something truly existent, andthats still not quite realizing the true nature ofreality, which is beyond all conceptions aboutwhat it might be. But those whose minds are notmoved even by thoughts of emptiness have safelycrossed over the dangers of the awful ocean ofexistence, which is filled with the tormentingsnakes of all of the afflictive mental states. Theseafflictive mental states constantly plague all thosewho are still going around in cyclic existence.Those whose minds are not moved even bythoughts of emptiness have crossed over thisocean of suffering and have attained nirvana, thetranscendence of suffering.

The last verse is the dedication of merit:

By the power of the virtue performed here

May all beings perfect the accumulations ofmerit and wisdom,

And from this merit and wisdom,

May they attain the twin dimensions of genuine[enlightenment]. (60)

This is the dedication that Nagarjuna wrote.When he talks about the power of the virtueperformed here, he is talking about the power ofhis virtue accumulated by writing this text. Butfor us, its the power of the virtue of listening toand thinking about the explanations of the text.By that virtue, we should think, may all beingsperfect the accumulations of merit and wisdom.Merit and wisdom are the two causes of enlighten-ment. The perfection of the accumulation of meritis essentially the perfection of doing good forothers in terms of apparent reality. The accumula-tion of wisdom is the perfection of realizing thetrue nature, which is beyond all conception. Fromthis merit and wisdom, may sentient beings attainthe twin dimensions of genuine enlightenment,which refers to the two kayas, the dharmakaya

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*Editors note: Traditionally the rupakaya is used to standfor both the sambhogakaya and nirmanakaya. Thenirmanakaya is, indeed, what can be seen by the eyes ofsentient beings in the human realm. The sambhogakaya isanother form body, imperceptible to ordinary beings, butperceptible to enlightened bodhisattvas, which also exists forthe benefit of beings.

and the rupakaya, sometimes translated as thetruth body and the form body. The truth bodyrefers to the actual mind of the buddha, the pureawareness of the buddha, and that body is theresult of the perfection of the accumulation ofwisdom of the true nature of reality.

The form body of the buddha is what every-body can see, and what benefits beings.* It is theresult of the perfection of the accumulation ofmerit. So by the power of the virtue performedhere, may all beings perfect the accumulations ofmerit and wisdom. And from this merit and wis-dom, may they attain the twin dimensions ofgenuine enlightenment.

This has been a brief explanation of some veryimportant verses from Nagarjunas SixtyStanzas of Reasoning. In this day and age, we allhave a lot of work to do and we have a lot of otherthings to study, so we dont have time to study theentire text in all of its detail. Since that is thecase, then its very good to look at the importantverses and understand their meaning. That issomething that we can do in a brief period of time,so thats why we have explained it in this fashion.

This is a good selection of verses because atthe beginning there is the homage, and at the endthere is the dedication of merit, which roundseverything out. In between are the importantverses, so its a good collection of verses to have.

When we are meditating on emptiness, if wepick one verse and recite it, think about it, andmeditate on its meaning, and then move to an-other verse, recite it, think about it, and meditateon its meaning, and continue on in that vein, thenthats a very good way to meditate.

If you are curious why we recite these verseswith even timing and in a level tone of voice, theidea is to let the mind rest in a peaceful way. Butof course, when you are by yourself, you may sayit any way with which you feel comfortable.

Question: [unintelligible, but probably:] Whydoes the accumulation of merit lead to a formbody, and the accumulation of wisdom lead to thetruth body?

Rinpoche: The form body is all of the greatqualities of the buddha, like the protrusion on thehead, the radiant body, and things like that,including the thirty-two major and eighty minorsigns of physical perfection. Why does the accumu-lation of merit lead to the attainment of such abody? This actual body of the buddha is what weas deluded sentient beings can see and what helpsbeings. From that standpoint, it is somethingexistent. The accumulation of merit is actuallyhelping beings and doing good things for beings interms of the existent. And so this is something,from that standpoint of being existent, that has aresult which is also something existent.

If we take this house as an example, the wallsand the paint and the colors are things that wecan see, so they are all existent things, and theyhave existent causes. The space inside of thehouse is something nonexistent that has causeswhich are also nonexistent. So its like that.

So just as the space inside of this house is some-thing nonexistent and, therefore, cant have anexistent cause, similarly the truth body ordharmakaya, which is the complete freedom from allelaborations, also requires as its cause the medita-tion on emptiness, which is also free from all elabo-ration.

Question: [questioner seems to ask aboutnirmanakaya and sambhogakaya]

Rinpoche: The sambhogakaya or the enjoymentbody is also a form body. It is of the nature oflightthats how its described. It includes, forexample, Vajrasattva, or the five buddhas of thefive buddha families. These are forms whichordinary beings can not perceive. Onlybodhisattvas can perceive them. In short, thesambhogakaya is the enjoyment body which isenjoyed by all bodhisattvas.

The emanation body, the nirmanakaya, on theother hand, is made of flesh and blood, is bornfrom a womb, and can be seen by all ordinary

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beings. Its not really of the nature of flesh andblood, but thats how it appears to us.

Question: Why are the form and truth bodyreferred to as twin bodies?

Translator: Its twin meaning two, not twin liketwins, but twin like two. I just thought it soundednice. [laughter]

Question: Could Rinpoche explain the extremesof earlier and later again?

Rinpoche: Earlier and later refer to past andfuture lives. In Buddhism it is taught that thereare past and future lives. As for past lives, therewas never a first one, for there is no beginning tothe succession of them. As for future lives, so longas we are ignorant, then there will be no end tothem. If we think that these lives are things thatare truly existent, that they have some substan-tial existence, then we fall into the extreme ofpermanence, of eternalism. And if we believe, onthe other hand, that there is absolutely no suchthing whatsoever, that there are not even themere appearances of past and future lives, thenwe fall into the extreme of nihilism. But if werealize that this existence is like a mirage and anillusion, in the sense that it is something thatappears but has no true existence, then we wontfall into either of these extremes.

So its good if we understand what is a mirageand an illusion. All of our suffering is just a mi-rage and an illusion. All of our afflictive mentalstates are just mirages and illusions. And all thedifficult and adverse circumstances that we runinto are just mirages and illusions. They are justmere appearances without any substantial na-ture.

We should think about the suffering in adream. If we dream of bad things happeningwhich entail suffering, and if we dont know thatwe are dreaming, then there is absolutely nodifference between the suffering we experience inthe dream and the suffering we have during theday. Absolutely no difference. Now from the perspec-tive of the waking state, there is nothing reallyhappening in a dream. It is a mere appearance.

There is no reason to suffer. The only reason that wesuffer is that we take these dream appearances tobe true. It is only because we are obscured by ourignorance that we think these dreams are real, andwe suffer as a result of it.

What is the true nature of a dream? It is justopenness and spaciousness. What we need to do tobe liberated from suffering is to realize that allappearances are of the same nature. We need torealize that our suffering does not come from theseappearances, but from our taking these appear-ances to be real. If we realize this, then we willexperience the true nature of everything that is,which is openness and spaciousness also.

When we first learn about emptiness, it ap-pears that emptiness has to do with outer phe-nomena, that outer phenomena are empty of trueexistence. But really and truly, true emptiness,the true nature of reality, is the true nature of ourmind, the true nature of this very present andever present mind. And the true nature of thisvery present mind is openness, spaciousness,complete freedom from all thoughts, completefreedom from all ideas about the way things are orare not. Openness, spaciousness, and relaxedness.

Question: You were talking about the extremes ofearlier and later, past and future lives, perma-nence versus nihilism. I guess Im getting confusedabout how you equate these. Ive heard existenceversus nihilism, but how can you say that existenceis permanent? Maybe in that moment that Imtotally caught in something I think its permanent,but if I step back I realize its not permanent. But Istill think it exists. So even though I dont think itspermanent, I still think it exists.

Translator: Permanence is a literal translation ofthe word in Tibetan, takba, but I can askRinpoche to explain it a little bit more.

Rinpoche: There are lots of different extremes ofview that we can fall into. The point is not tothink about just being free from the view of per-manence, but also from the extremes of thinkingeither that things exist or thinking that things donot exist; of thinking that things are permanent orthinking that they are impermanent, of thinking

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and received instructions. Then he went to northernTibet and meditated for many years in a cave near avery big lake. Then he went to western Tibet, toMount Kailash and meditated near Mount Kailashfor a while. Then he went to India where he went toa sacred place called Jaulindata. Then he went toNepal and from there back to Tibet. In all of hisgreat and miraculous life, he never stayed inmeditation in the same place twice. He nevervisited the same place twice. He was constantlygoing from one cave to another, and when hepassed into nirvana, he was still living in a cave.His is a really miraculous story. Something quitewonderful about Götsangpas story is that he wasvery sick a lot of the time that he was meditating.He was quite ill, and the illness caused him a lotof pain. But he took his illness to the path, and hisillness became the means by which he realized thetrue nature. Later he sang many songs about howhe did that.

The metaphor of flourishing a lance in space isused because, when one flourishes a lance or asword in space, there is no obstruction, there is nohindrance to it. It moves very freely. It does notmove once and then run into something. It is neverhindered by anything. This is an example of whatthe true nature is like, and what realization of thetrue nature is like; it is completely unhindered. It isopen, spacious, and relaxed.

This song is very much in accord with themeaning of the verses we have studied from theSixty Stanzas of Reasoning, because the SixtyStanzas of Reasoning talks about the true nature,which is the complete freedom from any ideasabout it, which nature is also completely open,spacious, and relaxed.

The view is without any focus or object. Themeditation is without any grasping. The conduct iswithout any type of attachment or bias. These threedescribe the true nature. Both teachings are talkingabout the same state of openness and spaciousness.

So now we will meditate, and the way we willmeditate is that we will read one verse at a time,and then meditate on the meaning of that verse. Wewill read the verse, then think about the meaning alittle bit, and then finally rest without any type ofgrasping or thinking about anything at all.

that they appear or thinking that they do notappear, of thinking that they are empty or think-ing that they are not emptyall of these sets ofextremes are thoughts, are different concepts thatwe impute to reality. But the true nature of reality isbeyond all extremes of thought, beyond all thedifferent kinds of thoughts that we have about it.Thats the point of teaching about these extremes.Its just to show us that these are different ideas andthoughts that we can have about how things are.

The Consequence Middle Way school, thePrasangika Madhyamika, doesnt make any asser-tions about anything. They have no views, becauseany view is regarded as an extreme. Any view is asuperimposition onto the true nature of reality. Andso they dont have anything to say about the natureof reality except to refute other peoples views.

In order to understand this, the best thing todo in the beginning is to think about dreams. Youcant say that dream appearances, the things in adream, are existent, but you cant say that theyrecompletely nonexistent. You cant say that theyfall into the extreme of permanence, but you cantsay that they fall into the extreme of nihilismeither. You cant say that they are entities, butyou cant say that theyre not entities. You cantsay really anything about them. Nothing really canaccurately describe what they are. Thinking in thisway we can understand the true nature of reality.

In the Fundamental Wisdom of the MiddleWay, Nagarjuna wrote a verse which says, Per-manence, impermanence, and so forth, these four,where are they in the expanse of peace? Perma-nence, impermanence, both permanence andimpermanence, neither permanence nor imperma-nenceany kind of idea you want to make upwhere is it in the expanse of the true nature ofreality? Where is it in the expanse of peace? Youcant find it, because the true nature is beyond allof these concepts.

We will now discuss a song by a great Kagyuyogi, Gyalwa Götsangpa called Eight Flash-ing Lances, which is very good for us to read. [SeePage 7 for complete text.]

Gyalwa Götsangpa was born in southern Tibet.He traveled to central Tibet, where he met his lama

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Nagarjuna had five main types of reasoningswith which he demonstrated that

phenomena do not truly exist.

The Logic ThatRefutes the IdeaThat Anything Is

Truly Existent

Rinpoche wishes everybody tashi delek thisevening, and makes the aspiration that allof us will develop ultimate awakeningmind, which is the bodhicitta that understandsthe ultimate truth. It is by virtue of not under-standing the ultimate truth that we are trappedin cyclic existence, which is marked by confusionand ignorance.

Rinpoche also makes the aspiration that ourrelative awakening mind will also increase andincrease. Relative awakening mind, relativebodhicitta, is loving kindness and compassion forall sentient beings. By developing relativebodhicitta, we prevent ourselves from falling intothe extreme of becoming attached to isolation,one-sided peace, or cessation.

By developing these two types of awakeningmind, we will attain the precious state ofbuddhahood, which falls neither into the extremeof existence, nor into the extreme of one-sidedpeace, and we will be able to perform the benefitof countless living beings. Please give rise to theprecious attitude of bodhicitta, the awakeningmind, which is the essential aspiration of thegreat vehicle, the mahayana.

Tonight, Rinpoche will explain some versesfrom the protector Nagarjunas text, SeventyStanzas on Emptiness. [See Page 9 for completetext.]

The first verse reads:

Entities do not exist

In their causes, in their conditions,

In aggregations of many things, or in individualthings.

Therefore, all entities are empty. (3)

Entities are, by nature, empty of any type ofsubstantial existence; therefore, they cannot befound to exist in their causes and conditions or inthe coming together of their causes and conditions.They cannot be found to exist in the coming to-gether of many things, nor can they be found toexist in individual things. They cannot be found toexist in any one cause or any one condition. And ifwe examine very subtly, we see that even thesecauses and conditions do not have any true exist-

The following transcript continuesRinpoches series of teachings.

This is from June 18, 1997.

SHENPEN ÖSEL 27

What is themain cause ofsuffering inthinking aboutthe future? It isthe future! . . .The future issomething whichdoes not exist

ence. It is impossible to find an entity that trulyexists in any of these possibilities; therefore,entities are empty of inherent existence.

As an example, we can applythis logic to the suffering weexperience as a result of thinkingabout the future. As a result ofthinking about the future, weexperience a lot of worry andanxiety, which is suffering. How-ever, if we examine its nature, wewill find that it doesnt reallyexist. It doesnt exist either in thecoming together of all or anynumber of its causes and condi-tions, or in any one particularcause or condition that we mightisolate.

What is the main cause of suffering in think-ing about the future? It is the future! Let us thinkabout that. The future is something which doesnot exist. You cant find it anywhere. The future issomething that is not here at all. Since the causedoesnt exist, the suffering doesnt exist either.

The next verse reads:

Because it already exists, that which exists doesnot arise.

Because it does not exist, that which does notexist does not arise.

Because they contradict each other, existenceand nonexistence do not [arise] together

Since there is no arising, there is no remainingor cessation either. (4)

We can develop a reasoning using this logic.We can say that suffering is not something thatever arises. Why? Because, it doesnt arise frombeing existent when its cause is present. And itdoesnt arise from being nonexistent when itscause is present. And it doesnt arise from beingboth existent and nonexistent when its cause ispresent. And it doesnt arise from some otherpossibility. Lets look at these four.

If you say that something arises, then it eitherhas to exist at the time of its cause or not exist atthe time of its cause. Those are the only two

possibilities. If something exists at the time of itscause, then it doesnt need to arise. It doesntmake any sense that it would arise when it al-

ready exists. How could it exist atthe time of its cause? If it existedat the time of its cause, then onewould not be producing the other;the result would not rely on thecause to exist. It would alreadybe there, so arising would besomething nonsensical.

The next possibility is thatthe thing does not exist at thetime of its cause. If that weretrue, then what you would besaying is that the cause does nothave power to do anything,because, by the time the result

comes around, the cause is gone. There would beno connection between the two. So we would seeall kinds of things arising without cause, likeflowers arising in space, because causes wouldhave no power to do anything.

A thing does not arise from being both existentand nonexistent at the time the cause is present.That doesnt make any sense. That has all thefaults of the previous two reasonings. And, there isno other possible way for a thing to arise. There-fore, suffering is not something that arises. And ifit does not arise, then suffering is not somethingthat truly exists.

Nagarjuna had five main types of reasoningswith which he demonstrated that phenomena donot truly exist. One of them was this, to examinewhether or not, at the time of the cause, the resulteither existed or did not exist.

For example, suffering in a dream is notsomething that arises from being existent at thetime of its cause, from being nonexistent at thetime of its cause, from being both existent andnonexistent at the time of its cause, or from beingneither existent nor nonexistent at the time of itscause. Suffering in a dream is something thatnever really happens. It is just a mere appear-ance. If we think about this type of example, itwill help us to understand. To understand thatphenomena never really arise, or never come into

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Another one ofNagarjunasreasonings is toexamine aphenomenon todeterminewhether it existsas somethingthat is oneor many

being, is difficult. But if we think about a dream itwill become easier, because in dreams we have alltypes of appearances that never really happen,that never really come into being.

Another one of Nagarjunas reasonings is toexamine a phenomenon to determine whether itexists as something that is one or many. This nextverse shows how these ideas of one and many arereally just dependently arisen and, therefore, nottruly existent:

Without one there are not many, and

Without many there is not one.

Therefore, dependently arisen entities[like these]

Have no characteristics. (7)

A dependently arisen entity, anything that hasarisen in dependence on other things, has nocharacteristics, which means that it has no sub-stantial essence. It is not something that trulyexists because it is neither one unitary thing noris it the coming together of many things.

We can take this flower as an example ofsomething that is neither one nor many, like allphenomena. This flower is clearlynot one, unitary, indivisible thing,because it has many parts. On theother hand it is not many indivis-ible things because each of theseparts in turn has many parts.Since it is not one, unitary, sub-stantial, indivisible thing andsince it is also not many unitary,substantial, indivisible things, itdoes not truly exist.

All dependently occurringappearances have no substantialessences because they are beyondbeing either one indivisible thingor many indivisible things. Forexamples we have the depen-dently occurring appearances thatwe see in dreams. All of the things that we see indreams are appearances. At the time we aredreaming, they look real, but in fact they have nosubstantial essence. They have no inherent na-

ture, because they are neither one thing, nor arethey many.

We might think that the afflictions, the af-flicted mental states, are things that are real, thatthe kleshas are things that have substance tothem. We might think that, because there aremistaken views, wrong ways of seeing things,which then give rise to emotional afflictions in ourminds. But these wrong views do not really existeither. There is really no such thing as a wrongview. Mistaken views, which appear in our minds,are just mere appearances. That is demonstratedin the next verse:

[In the true nature] there is neither permanencenor impermanence,

Neither self nor nonself, neither clean norunclean

And neither happiness nor suffering.

Therefore, the [four] mistaken views do notexist. (9)

All of these mistaken views, these thoughts ofpermanence and impermanence, self and nonself,clean and unclean, etc., are dependently existent

thoughts. They depend on theexistence of correct views. To havean idea of a mistaken view, youhave to have an idea of what acorrect view is. So there is noth-ing that is inherently mistaken.Things can only be mistaken independence on something that iscorrect. Therefore, a mistakenview is only dependently arisen,and never truly arises. It is notsomething that ever truly hap-pens. Moreover, if we examinethese thoughts of mistaken viewsto determine whether or not theyare some kind of entity, then wemust conclude that these

thoughts individually are neither one thing northe coming together of many things. Therefore,they have no essence. Wrong views or thoughts ofwrong views are things that never truly arise andwhich have no substantial essence.

SHENPEN ÖSEL 29

Since these fourmistaken views donot reallyexist, that whicharises from themthe three mainafflictions:ignorance,attachment, andaversionalso donot really exist

Four basic types of mistaken views are de-scribed. One of them is to take what is imperma-nent to be permanent. But if we look at imperma-nence and permanence we can see that both ofthem are only dependent ideas. There is no waythat anything can be permanent without oneshaving some idea of what impermanence is.Similarly, if you were to say that something isimpermanent, impermanence is not somethingthat is truly existent because that depends onpermanence. So neither of these inherently exists.

The next type of wrong view is to take thatwhich is clean to be unclean. But again, what isclean? Clean means that which is not unclean.And unclean is that which is not clean. So you cannever find out what either of these things is. Itjust goes back and forth. They dont truly exist.

The third mistaken view is to take that whichis not a self to be a self. Again, what is nonself? Itis that which is not a self. Well, what is a self? It isthat which is not a nonself. You cannot figure itout. You cannot find out what these things inher-ently are.

The fourth mistaken view is totake that which is unhappiness to behappiness. Well then, what is happi-ness? It is that which is not unhappi-ness. What is unhappiness? It is thatwhich is not happiness.

And so again these things arejust dependently existent. They arenot truly existent. They are notinherently existent. They exist onlyfrom the perspective of our thoughts,which bring along with them theconcepts of their opposites. When wesee something that is clean or dirty,it is just as when we see somethingclean or dirty in a dream. You seesomething and you say, Oh, this isclean. But you can only say thatbecause you have some idea of what dirty is. Yousee something that is dirty and you say, Oh, thisis dirty. But you can only say that because youhave some idea of what clean is. Nothing is inher-ently clean or dirty. Just as when you see some-thing clean or dirty in a dream.

Since these four mistaken views do not reallyexist, that which arises from themthe threemain afflictions: ignorance, desire-attachment,and aversion-also do not really exist. They haveno substantial essence. They are unborn. Theynever really arise.

We might think that the twelve links of cyclicexistence really exist, that dependent arising issomething real, that there really are things thatare produced by other things. And we might thinkthat there are things that are produced by thatwhich produces them:

Without a father there is no son, and without ason there is no father.

These two do not exist without depending oneach other.

Neither do they exist simultaneously.

The twelve links are exactly the same. (13)

Normally, the way that the twelve links ofdependent arising is traditionally explained isthat from the earlier ones come the later ones.

First there is ignorance. Thenthere is action taken in igno-rance. Then, as a result of thataction, there is a consciousnesswhich is born in a wombsomewhere in cyclic existence.And on and on, like that. Sothe later ones depend on theearlier ones. But actually, theearlier ones are just as depen-dent on the later ones as thelater ones are on the earlierones. Really you cant saywhich one produces the otherone. So ignorance is just asdependent on action taken inignorance as this action isdependent on the ignorance. If

we go all the way to the end then we would saythat birth is just as dependent on aging and deathas aging and death are dependent on birth.

How can we demonstrate this to be true? Inworldly life, take the example of a father and son.Normally we say that the father produces the son

30 SHENPEN ÖSEL

We could say thatall of the difficulttimes that wemeet in thislife have nosubstantialexistence

*Editors note: Karma is, by definition, action and theresults of actions motivated by fundamental ignorance of thetrue nature of things, the consequent clinging to self andphenomena as dualistically and truly existent, and theafflictive mental states that arise from dualistic clinging.

and that the son is produced by the father. But ifyou think about it, then there is no way that youcould ever have a father without there being ason. No one is ever called father before there is ason, before there is a child. The father is just asdependent on the son as the sonis dependent on the father. Sowhich one is the producer andwhich one is the produced? Youcant really say. You can make thesame analysis with a mother anddaughter. It is the same exactthing.

We can also think about howthe eye perceives form in adream. No form in a dream existsbefore you see it. And similarly,the eye that sees does not exist before the formthat is seen is there. These two are equally depen-dent on each other. They are only existent in thesense that they are mutually dependent, andneither of them exists in any independent way.

Because the Buddha taught that compositephenomena, which come into being as a result ofdifferent things coming together, do not trulyexist, we might then be inclined to think thatuncomposite phenomena truly exist, but theydont. This is taught in the next verse which says:

Composite and uncomposite [phenomena]

Are not many, are not one,

Are not existent, are not nonexistent, [and] arenot both existent and nonexistent.

These words apply to all phenomena [withoutexception]. (32)

If we made a reasoning out of this, we wouldsay that no composite phenomenon has any sub-stantial existence because composite phenomenaare neither one thing nor the coming together ofmany things. They neither exist, nor do they notexist.

The last line says that these words apply to allphenomena without exception, which means thatthe reasonings in this verse may be applied toanything. For example, we can say that all of themental states which afflict us, all of the kleshas,

have no substantial essence because they areneither one thing nor the coming together of manythings. Therefore, they are beyond either exist-ence or nonexistence. We could say that all of thedifficult times that we meet in this life have no

substantial existence. They dontreally exist, because they areneither one thing nor the comingtogether of many things. Andtherefore they transcend bothexistence and nonexistence.

For example, the suffering, thehard times, the difficult experi-ences that we have in a dreamdont really exist. But we thinkthat they do. So we are tricked. Weare confused into thinking that

they truly exist, so we suffer. When we considerthe suffering we experience from difficult circum-stances during the day, there is no difference. Weknow that once we wake up from a dream, we willrealize that these difficult experiences were reallynonexistent. The suffering that we experienceduring the day is of the same nature. It is onlybecause we think that these appearances of suffer-ing are real that we suffer; we dont suffer as aresult of the appearances themselves.

We might think that the cycle of existence isreal, that existence is real because the body seemssomething real. We might think that the actionsthat the body takes are real and that the afflictivemental states which propel those actions are real.The next verse refutes these notions:

[Defiled] actions have afflictions as their cause,

And the afflictions themselves arise due to[defiled] actions.

The body [also] has [defiled] actions as its cause,

So all three are empty of essence. (37)

The karma* that we accumulate, the actionswhich are defiled by our afflicted mental states ofeither desire or anger or indifference/apathy, dont

SHENPEN ÖSEL 31

If phenomenawere trulyexistent, whatwould thatmean? It wouldmean thatthey existedindependently ofany causes andconditions

truly or inherently exist because they depend onafflictive mental states to occur. They are com-pletely dependent on something else for theirexistence. They are not inherently existent orindependently existent in any way. Similarly,afflictive mental states rely on actions as theircause. When you take an action out of desire oranger or indifference, what does it produce? Itproduces more desire or more anger or moreindifference.

Similarly, another way to think about this isthat the result of these actions is some sentientbeing, some consciousness somewhere. And ifthere were no sentient being, how could there beany afflictions? How could there be any afflictedmental states? In that way too, the afflictionsarise as a result of actions. So the afflictions arenot something inherently existent. They arecompletely dependent on something else.

And the body, is that something real? Is thatsomething independently existent? No, it exists asa result of actions. The body is the fruit, theripened result, of taking certain actions in thepast. Based on whatever actions you take in thepast, you wind up with some kind of body. So thisbody is not something inherently or independentlyexistent either.

Therefore, since these threeafflictions,actions, and the bodyare dependently existent,what does that say? It says that really they donttruly exist. They dont exist in the ultimate sense.They dont have any substantialessence. In terms of what is truereality, they dont exist.

It is like the body you havewithin a dream. You dream andyou have different types of thingsrunning around in your mind. Youdream that, because of whateveris going on in your mind, you doall types of different things. All ofthese doings are just mere ap-pearances. They have no sub-stance. They are not real.

To illustrate how it is thatphenomena are mere appearancesdue to the coming together of

causes and conditions while having no materialsubstance, many different examples are given inthe